4. Speaking of ‘Shogun’ …
It’s hard to say where Rua goes from here. On paper, the MMA legend only has just one loss in his past six fights. That’s a strong record that should seemingly position him for a noteworthy fight at 205 pounds, but watching the actual bouts, it’s hard to agree that would be smart matchmaking. His only loss in this recent stretch against Anthony Smith proved that much.
After delaying retirement talks for what’s felt like the better part of a decade, Rua finally said prior to his fight with Craig that he promised his wife he only had one fight left in him after this one. The most hardcore of Rua supporters would probably agree that’s for the best, even though Rua hinted post-fight that he’s already coming with ideas on how to change her mind.
Assuming Rua sticks to his guns on his promise, however, he is in position to get a sendoff for the sport that few all-time greats get to enjoy. Despite talk of a rematch with Craig in Scotland, Rua’s retirement fight should take place on the UFC’s 2020 pay-per-view event in Brazil, and ideally he’d get an opponent where he has a decent shot of going out on a win. That’s the least he deserves.
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